What He Never Said ✔️

chapter twenty-five • time away

"If one's different, one's bound to be lonely."
- Aldous Huxley

Waking up next to Zayna is definitely something I could get used to.

We're both sprawled out on the pull-out couch, our limbs tangled together. The remnants of last night's pillow fort surround us, although we knocked most of it over while we had the hastiest, quietest sex of our lives.

Hey, Shamus told us he didn't want to hear us doing it, not that we weren't allowed to.

I run my fingers across Zayna's cheek. She opens her eyes and gazes up at me, an angelic smile tugging at her lips.

"Good morning," she whispers.

"Morning, beautiful," I reply, leaning in to kiss her.

"Stop," she says quickly.

Immediately, I pull back. "You okay?"

She giggles. "Morning breath. Let me go brush my teeth real quick."

Wearing nothing but my t-shirt, Zayna rushes to the bathroom. Not even ten seconds after she shuts the door, Shamus emerges from his bedroom, dressed in a polo shirt and a pair of khakis for work.

"Morning, Bowie." He stares at me, his hazel eyes fixed on my bare chest. "Sleep okay?"

"Like a baby," I reply. "Thank you, by the way, for letting me stay over."

He grabs two pieces of bread and pops them into the toaster. "Listen, I'm not thrilled with the idea of you and my little sister having sleepovers, but you're both adults. I know you're crazy about her, so I know you'll keep her safe."

"Of course I will," I promise him, and I mean it. No matter what, I will always protect Zayna.

He stands on his tiptoes to reach a jar of peanut butter on top of the fridge. "Also, in regards to your family drama, I don't know the details. Frankly, I don't want the details."

I nod my head, watching as he takes a knife out of the drawer—a big, shiny steak knife—and uses it to spread the tan paste onto his toast.

"Look," he goes on, "I'm not sure what my sister has shared with you about our childhood, but it wasn't full of home-cooked meals and bedtime stories. We dealt with some shit. If you need help, we'll help you." He stares at me again, holding the knife just a smidge higher than he needs to. "Stay here as long as you'd like, but if you're still here tomorrow morning, I expect you to be wearing a shirt."

"Consider it done," I respond, fighting the urge to salute.

The bathroom door opens, revealing a half-naked Zayna. Her cheeks are maroon as she pulls my shirt down as far as it will go and scurries back under the covers.

"Good morning, little sis," Shamus greets her with an amused smirk.

"Hi," she mumbles, looking anywhere but at him.

Chuckling, he puts his breakfast on a paper plate, locates his car keys, and then winks at his sister before leaving for work.

"How embarrassing," Zayna groans. "Like, I'm not even wearing underwear!"

"Good," I say in a husky undertone.

"Oh, yeah?" she purrs, climbing into my lap. Straddling my thighs, she takes off my t-shirt and exposes her bare breasts.

Bowie Jr. rapidly comes to life, creating a noticeable tent in my boxer shorts.

Yeah, this is definitely something I could get used to.